A recent online study conducted by LinkedIn in the UAE and Saudi Arabia revealed that the majority of working professionals are overworked and hesitant to take time off.
Conducted by consulting firm Censuswide, the survey ran from June 20 to 26 and focused on 1,005 respondents aged 18 and above. All of those who took part in the research identified themselves as "full-time permanent employees, full-time self-employed, or freelancers."
According to the survey, 65 percent of employees of all ages in both countries feel overworked. The research also found that 45 percent of millennials in the UAE and 24 percent in Saudi Arabia do not use all their vacation days.
The reasons behind the fear of "asking for a vacation" include "fear of missing out (FOMO), bosses that refuse to grant leave, mistrust in colleagues' ability to hold the fort, and immense volume of work that deems it nearly impossible to plan a holiday."
"38 percent of women and 30 percent of men did not use all their vacation days in 2018, citing 'too much work to do' or 'there was no one to fill in for me' as the reasons." In Saudi Arabia, 26 percent of men and 21 percent of women also didn't use all their allocated vacation days.
Up to 95 percent of those who did manage to get days off where contacted by managers and had to actively engage with work emails or take work-related phone calls while on holiday.
The alarming findings also stated that "sixty-eight percent of millennials aged 18-38 have been contacted by colleagues while on holiday on more than one occasion."
In Saudi Arabia, only 7 percent of the 27 percent who took a full month off in 2018 were not contacted by work during their time off.
These findings point towards collective burnout
The survey results highlight the fact that Arabs of working age in the region are at risk of experiencing burnout given that they're not getting enough time off.
Burnout syndrome is a phenomenon that's rising among young professionals around the world and is the result of prolonged work-related stress or frustration. A high percentage of those interviewed in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia said they would consider turning down job offers if contracts do not include enough vacation time.
Many also said they would be OK with getting a pay cut in exchange for more days off.
In his statement on the survey results, Ali Matar, Head of LinkedIn MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets, urged regional companies to carefully review these outcomes.
"This survey is an important indicator of the overall professional trends in the UAE and KSA markets, the two biggest and most attractive to talent in the region. I encourage companies to review the survey outcomes to be best positioned to attract and maintain talent," he said.